Join hosts Joe Hogarty, Ron D’Anna, Jack McCarthy and special guests Ferdra Ekres and Eric Lancy as they share their thoughts on “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”!
This special episode is now available for download through WDW News Today: Original Programing and iTunes!
The Passholder-only entrance lines debuted today at Walt Disney World, allowing annual passholders to take advantage of express entry into the theme parks during the busiest time of year.
Signage directs passholders to their exclusive entrance.
Signage over the Annual Passholder entrance at the Magic Kingdom.
Our thanks to WDWNT’s own Jesse DeRosa for the pics.
Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot for a look at Holidays Around the World, new merchandise, and more. Let’s hop right in and see what’s new and exciting around the park.
The holiday season marches on at Epcot, along with the ever-popular Holidays Around the World celebrations.
A number of pins celebrating the 25th anniversary of beauty and the Beast were recently released.
A selection of fairly neat pins were also released for Holidays Around the World.
I’m not sure why, but some of the pins have the “WDW” icon you will find on transportations systems around the resort, namely the Railroad at the Magic Kingdom.
A holiday Eaches Vinylmation was released featuring Donald Duck and Snowman Donald Duck.
A new series of kid’s shirts allows little girls to dress as their favorite Princess… kind of…
A strange, futuristic tree adorns the entrance to the Art of Disney at Epcot.
This awesome piece of Hatbox Ghost art is for sale inside.
And suddenly all of the Disneyland locals got offended…
Topiaries adorn the walkway between Future World and World Showcase.
There is now a Le Cellier Tervis for sale in the Canada shops.
Canadian guests can get 150th anniversary buttons at the store upon request, either in English or in French.
Some new, Disney made sports shirts for sale in the Canada pavilion.
The Land pavilion is decorated for the holidays.
They kind of went a little overboard with the decorations inside of the Living with the Land attraction, but it is a nice touch.
Brilliant decorations can be found all around World Showcase.
A former backstage area in the Mitsukoshi store was converted into shopping space for the holiday season.
The space is being used for toys and models.
This Marie is part of a new series of plush with oversized features.
This great Epcot snow globe featuring World Showcase is now available.
A similar artwork style appears on the new World Showcase ornament this year.
It lights up, which is pretty neat.
Several of the Agent P World Showcase Adventure kiosks have closed, leaving just the bridge between World Showcase and Future World for a sign-up location.
The holiday tag has returned to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth for the season. We have a video of the tag for you to enjoy below:
The gingerbread carousel has returned to Disney’s Beach Club Resort and it looks as delicious as ever.
Disney has released the full musical sequence of “Shiny” from “Moana”. “Shiny” is performed by Jermaine Clement and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Source: Disney VEVO
This behind the scenes featurette for “Rogue One” shows that not only was actor Alan Tudyk providing the voice for K-2SO but he also did the motion capture too!
Source: Star Wars
Disney today is previewing the new Epcot International Festival of the Arts and its “Food Studios” that will be located along the World Showcase promenade.
Running Fridays through Mondays from Jan. 13-Feb. 20, the festival will combine visual, culinary and performing arts, unveiling brand new art each week.
While the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival strives for seasonal flavors, and the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is all about global cuisine, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts is all about works of art on a plate that may be photo-worthy. Yes, that is where we are as a society now.
At many of the Food Studios, guests will be able to watch the chefs plating and see the creative process as the dish comes to life.
Here’s a gallery of some of the artful dishes:
Check out our newest T-shirt design on TeePublic, inspired by Pinocchio’s Village Haus at the Magic Kingdom…
For a limited time only, the “Figaro is a Cat” shirt is just $14.00. Even better, every purchase you make helps keep WDWNT.com going and supports all of the great coverage we provide every single day. Gear up with stylish Disney fan apparel while supporting the Worldwide Leader in Disney Parks News? DOES IT GET ANY BETTER? Actually it does, when you get complimented on wearing these amazing shirts at the parks…
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As posted on the Disney Parks Blog:
It’s hard to believe 2016 is already coming to a close. Have you made your New Year’s Eve plans yet? For those of you looking to welcome 2017 at Disney California Adventure park on December 31, we have quite a party planned for you. Here’s just a sampling of what’s in store:
- Hollywood Land – Join us in front of our brand-new stage at the end of Hollywood Blvd. all night long for tunes spun by world-famous DJ Roueche and special performances by Hollywood Records artist Olivia Holt. You don’t want to miss the countdown to midnight here, with rooftop fireworks and “Auld Lang Syne.”
- Paradise Bay – To mark the arrival of 2017, Disney California Adventure park is hosting the “Party of the Year!” At night, the waters of Paradise Bay become a sparkling winter fantasy with two scheduled performances of the all-new “World of Color – Season of Light” at 8:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Leading up to midnight, DJ Wendy keeps the energy building with an awesome dance party around the lagoon. Our New Year’s countdown culminates in a musical celebration punctuated by fountains, pyrotechnics, fireballs and lasers!
- Cars Land – Choose to welcome in the new year country style under the neon lights of Cars Land with appearances by the Kelly Rae Band and DJ Trevor.
It all promises to add up to the biggest party of the year!
Recently, the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen at the Magic Kingdom underwent another menu change, so we decided to go and check it out. If you haven’t, be sure to check out our last review which covers some of the past menu changes.
The souvenir mugs have made it onto the menu finally.
The cachapas replace the arepas appetizer, utilizing the same ingredients in a completely new preparation.
Thr preperation and sides with the grilled steak have changed.
The pork chops are also prepared a little differently with new sides as well.
A new take on the former arepas appetizer, this dish comes preassembled now with way more of the pork and less of the accompaniments. The mix of the pre-existing flavors with the avocado cream is glorious. The arepas were good, this new version is PHENOMENAL.
The steak was the only dish at Skipper Canteen that I haven’t had before, so provided there was a change in the preparation, I figured that it might be blogable to order it today.
The steak was much better that I expected, cooked and seasoned very well. If you don’t want seafood, I’d still order the pork over this, but it is a viable option at least.
The mashed plantains as a side were great and the vegetable slaw was adequate as well.
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It is not unusual for the ice cream parlor in France at Epcot to introduce seasonal flavors and treats. During this holiday season, L’Artisan des Glaces has two specialties for those who enjoy peppermint and gingerbread.
The peppermint ice cream macaron is available for $4.69.
The gingerbread ice cream is available in one scoop, two scoop, or in a sandwich of sorts utlizing a baked good from the nearby bakery. If you choose a cup over a cone, I would suggest just getting a cone and asking for a cup to put it in, that way you can taste their delicious cones but avoid the mess of it.
The macaron was very fresh, light and airy with a good flavor. The ice cream was super creamy, with a natural peppermint flavor that isn’t overwhelming like every other peppermint snack at the parks. I’m genuinely surprised at how much we enjoyed it.
It’s really hard to order something that you won’t enjoy here, but this was probably my favorite flavor I’ve ever had. The gingerbread pieces in the ice cream was the freshest I have had in a theme park, leading me to wish that the bakery in France produced the gingerbread goodies for all of Walt Disney World.
It has a lot of nutmeg in it, but it worked well with the sweetness of the ice cream. I highly recommend you order this if you’ll be visiting during the holidays this year.
